Dispensing device for successively dispensing articles in unit form



June 19, 1962 B0 THURESSON AF EKENSTAM ETAL 3,039,652

DISPENSING DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY DISPENSING ARTICLES IN UNIT FORM Original Filed Dec. 2, 1958 INVENTORS B0 r u/a'ssav AFEKENSTAM FRITZ ROLAND SVENSSOW BYHWMW 3,039,652 DISPENSING DEVICE FOR SUCCESSIVELY DISPENSING ARTICLES IN UNIT FORM Bo Thuresson af Ekenstam, Bofors, and Fritz Roland Svensson, Karlskoga, Sweden, assignors to Kooperative Forbundet, Stockholm, Sweden, a Swedish trade association Original application Dec. 2, 1958, Ser. No. 777,651, new Patent No. 2,989,212, dated June 20, 1961. Divided and this application Nov. 8, 1960, Ser. No. 68,026

5 Claims. (Cl. 22125) This is a divisional application of our co-pending application, Serial No. 777,651, filed December 2, 1958, now Patent No. 2,989,212, issued June 20, 196 1 for Packaging Arrangement for Objects Enclosed in a Bank Provided With Compartments The present invention relates to a package in which small objects, such as tablets are enclosed within individual compartments formed in a length of sealed strip, in which the compartments are formed by portions of the strips being folded against each other and closed. In such an arrangement, the compartments are opened by withdrawing the strip from a closed container through a restricted opening which will tend to resist the pull on the strip so as to separate the sealed portions of the folded strip to expose the object therewithin.

In accordance with the present form of dispensing package, the container is provided with a single slot of predetermined dimensions through which one end of the compartmented strip is withdrawn, the opening defining portions of the slot acting upon the strip to effect the individual opening of each compartmented section to expose the contents thereof adjacent to the slot as the strip is forceably withdrawn.

All of the foregoing and still further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, in which:

The single FIGURE is a perspective view, partly in section, of a dispensing package made in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, a dispensing package made in accordance with the present invention is shown to include a parallelepipedical protective casing 12 within which an accordion folded strip or band 14 is stacked so that the individual compartmented sections 15 are stacked vertically upon each other, substantially normal to the top wall 16 of the container. This will 16 is proivded with a transversely extending slot 18 through which the uppermost end of the strip is drawn.

The width of the slot 18 is less than the combined thicknesses of two adjacent pockets, and greater than the thickness of a single pocket or compartment. Thus, as the outermost end 20 is pulled, the folded-over portion 19 of the compartmented section 15 uppermost in the container 12 abuts against the inside surface of the top wall 16, thus tending to separate the marginal edges of the folded over portions of that particular compartmented section 15 and allowing the folded portion 13 of the compartmented section 15 to separate from the withdrawn portion 17 of the strip. The outward movement of this portion 17 of the strip 20 also carries with it the particular object, such as a pill or tablet, enclosed within the compartmented section 15.

It will thus be recognized that this arrangement provides for the sequential opening and dispensing of each compartmented section 15 of the accordion folded strip in a simple and convenient manner.

While this invention has been described with particular reference to the construction shown in the drawing, it is to be understood that such is not to be construed as imparting limitations upon the invention, which is best defined 'by the claims appended hereto.

The distance between the two side walls parallel with the slot should preferably be less than the depth of a pocket so that the leading pocket will be guided through the slot.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire to secure :by Letters Patent:

1. A dispensing device for successively dispensing articles in unit form comprising, in combination, a continuous series of articles containing pockets each defined by intermittently facing surfaces of spaced folds of a flexible strip folded in accordion fashion, releasable fastening means sealing the marginal edges of adjacent folds together to define individual compartmented sections therebetween, flattening of said strip causing opening of said folds and uncovering the articles in said sections, a receptacle having side walls and a top closure wall defining an interior storage compartment, said top closure wall including a laterally extending dispensing slot, the width of said slot being less than the combined thickness of two adjacent compartmented sections and greater than the thickness of one compartmented section, said accordion folded strip being stacked within said compartment and extending substantially normal to said top wall, the sealed marginal edges of the folds being disposed substantially in lengthwise alignment with said slot, and the outermost end of said strip protruding through said slot, whereby a longitudinal pull upon said protruding leading end of said strip is operative to effect the opening of the compartmented section nearest said slot to uncover the article comtained therewithin for movement outwardly through said slot in said closure wall in response to a continued outward pull upon said outermost end of said strip.

2. A dispensing device for successively dispensing articles in unit form comprising, in combination, a continuous series of articles containing pockets each defined by intermittently facing surfaces of spaced folds of a flexible strip folded in accordion fashion, releasable fastcning means sealing the marginal edges of adjacent folds together to define individual compartmented sections therebetween, whereby flattening of said strip causes opening of said folds and uncovering of the articles in said sections, a receptacle having side walls and a top closure wall defining an interior compartment, said top closure wall including an elongated dispensing slot adjacent to and parallel to one of said side walls, said accordion folded strip being stacked within said compartment and extending substantially normal to said wall, the sealed marginal edges of the folds being disposed in substantially lengthwise alignment and facing said side wall, the leading end of said strip protruding outwardly from said slot, and only the outermost portion of each compartmented section being movable through said slot together with the article contained within said compartment section adjacent to said slot with said top wall limiting movement of the innermost fold of said outermost compartmented section to expose the article contained within said compartmented section to view on the exterior of said receptacle.

3. A dispensing device as set forth in claim 2, where 5. A dispensing device as set forth in claim 4, wherein said stack of compartmented portions of said flexible in said side Wall of said receptacle defines one side of said strip is inclined with respect to the longitudinal central slot with said top wall thereof. aXis of said receptacle.

4. -A dispensing apparatus as set forth in claim 2, 5 References Cited In the file of thls patent wherein said slot in said top closure Wall is contiguous UNITED STATES PATENTS With a Side Wall of said receptacle, said sealed marginal 2,465,876 Hornung M 26, 1949 edges facing said side wall- 2,889,958 Af Ekenstamet a1 June 9, 1959 

